Fledgling
by KIMIKO-K
Summary: I… I'm not very good at this, he confessed and she smiled in response. It's okay, she said. I know I'm in good hands. An extra from Second Chances.


_Her face was the first thing I saw in my afterlife_

_When it turned out that I was still alive;_

_No longer deprived_

_She's the missing light in my life_.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter n: Fledgling<strong>

Uchiha Itachi watched from his spot by the guard house as Haruno Sakura scuttled along the winding pathway towards him. With most of her mind focused on keeping herself warm, she did not bother to stop to check for cars before she crossed the road. Every few moments, he had to resist the urge to rush to her side and chaperoned the rest of her way towards Haruna Residence, the private estate where they were living.

His shoulders stiffened from his spot by the fence when she was nearly knocked down by an on-coming sedan, for the third time. How she had remained alive from these mindless and reckless jaywalking was beyond him.

By the time she was a few feet away from reaching the gate and waving enthusiastically in his direction, Itachi felt himself aged by a few years and heart weakened significantly.

"Sakura, do you know how dangerous-"

"Brrrrrr, it's so coooold!" His admonition was cut off by Sakura's crushing hug that nearly sent him sailing backwards, his legs still wobbly over her earlier display of unnecessary courage.

For someone who would not even flinch with a kunai pointed to his eye, he sure was making a huge fuss over illegal road-crossing. Oh how deep he must have fallen; his ex-partner Kisame would be laughing buckets.

"Why didn't you wear the thicker coat?"

"I wanted you to have it; it'll be dangerous if your cold returns in this weather," She answered as she tiptoed and planted a soft kiss on his lips. Itachi closed his eyes and relished in the intimacy. There was the warm and fuzzy sensation in his chest again; Sakura would never know what her words were doing to his mind and body. Reluctantly, he pulled away and gazed tenderly into her jade eyes.

"Sakura, I'm fine now. Stop worrying about others and take care of yourself."

"I am," She said and nodded.

"How did the exam go?"

"Ummm… It was okay, I guess…?" Oops, not the right answer – Itachi frowned and gave her a concerned look bordering puzzlement.

"I was just kidding! It was easy; I was prepared for all the questions!" Itachi nodded and released a faint smile at the good news. He was fully aware of the amount of hours she spent buried in her medical textbooks and working part-time at Konoha Hospital to prepare for the hospital's annual entrance level examination. The chances of her failing the exam were as slim as Danzo confessing to Hiruzen that he secretly admired his leadership and would serve him wholeheartedly.

"What about you?" She asked as they headed towards the lift lobby.

"What about me?"

"Oh, don't think I don't know what you've been up to; you went for a job interview didn't you?" Itachi remained unmoved, the back of his mind cursing. To think he was part of the ANBU; what kind of ninja would that make him if he could not even keep that a secret?

His jobless state had been troubling him since he returned to Sakura's side after being summoned by an over-ambitious dickhead back to his Konoha Village to partake in Project Tsuki no Me. In truth that was just a fancy term for some lame project take-over-the-world bound to go wrong; if Kabuto thought he could manipulate Itachi with some cheap chess pieces and his new disgusting snake tattoos, he was dead wrong.

The cash he had managed to accumulate from Pein's generous payroll (one of the better incentives from joining Akatsuki besides meeting Kisame) was depleting faster than he could imagine, and it was unthinkable to rely on Sakura to meet his daily expenses.

"'_What colour to wear for job interviews to nab that job_,' really, Itachi?"

"That wasn't me." He would rather burn himself to death than to admit that he did follow their suggestions. "Better be safe than sorry," had been modern Kisame's somber advice as he dragged Itachi from store to store to search for that specific deep sea blue jacket and black strips silk tie. This was what happened when you spend your life wearing clothes provided by clans and organisation, you became as lost as a nanny daddy in fashion roulette. Sigh.

He paused along the way to Sakura's apartment to meet her eyes. "How did you know that?" Sakura gulped when she realized she had revealed too much.

"It was…In your internet tabs?" He appeared blank for a moment, and Sakura took the liberty to explain about internet's multiple tabs function.

_Damn that Kisame, why didn't he mention that when we … Wait a second_ –

"Were you looking through my phone?" Sakura cringed and carefully averted his narrowed eyes while rummaging for her keys. To be fair, it had not been _intentional_, since it happened that he left his phone lying by the dining table and it vibrated just as she walked passed it. Anyone would have stopped to sneak a peek at the screen out of curiosity, right?

As she slid the phone to unlock the screen, it brought her to a webpage scrolled midway suspended at '5. Your sitting posture might have decided your fate before you even know it.' Intrigued by what she saw, she allowed her itchy finger to hit on the 'Tabs' icon, and there were at least five more of such web address staring back at her widened eyes.

Seemed like someone had become quite an expert with Internet surfing.

Sakura was touched by the initiative. Even though she assured him that she could handle both their living expenses (granted, she needed to cut back on her indulgences, but his company was priceless so it was a worthy sacrifice), it seemed that he was still bothered by it.

"Eeee yes… I'm sorry I didn't mean to…" She was definitely not going to mention about those suspicious texts in his message inbox when her thumb accidentally hit the Message icon; that would be courting trouble. Other than herself and some of his classmates, she had no idea that he was also texting other people, who all happened to be girls. This action in itself called for speculation, since Itachi did _not_ text anyone to pass time, much less gave away his number to a stranger just because they asked. Or did he?

She gasped mentally when she realized where this was going – wasn't this how it always turned out in dramas? The clueless female would one day stumbled upon suggestive messages from different women in the protagonist's phone, and he would brush aside her worries as 'wrong recipient,' only to realize the boyfriend had been cheating behind her back, with multiple girls, for _months_-

"I know what you're thinking, Sakura, and it's true," Itachi's voice broke into her hotchpotch of thoughts.

"W-W-What?!" If she recalled correctly his ninja stuns did not extend to mindreading, did it?

"I did go for a job interview, but I'm not sure whether I did it right…" He frowned at the memory of the interviewer's lack of replies at his model answers, baffled by her excessive grinning and nervousness when he offered a thank you hand shake. He was uncertain whose hand was icier.

"Oh, _oh_… Of course you did well, Itachi! All you have to do now is to shake your leg and wait for his call," She recovered just in time as gratitude crashed onto her in hungry waves. Itachi caught her breath of relief from his peripheral vision, wondering if she had snuck at peek at his messages.

"Sakura, I have a favour to ask," He began unbuttoning his shirt in his unconscious manner just as Sakura shut the door of her apartment. "Your childhood friend has been leaking my numbers around school and I was hoping you could ask him to stop it," He asked as he strode into their bedroom in only a pair of slim-fitting jeans. Damn, did his abs become even more defined over the holidays?

"W-What? You mean Deidara?" Sakura's mind was far too distracted to be multi-tasking.

"I talked to him about it but I think he's still secretly spreading it behind my back…" Itachi slipped on a black tee and trailed off when he realized Sakura was still standing by the door, her facial expression comparable to the victims trapped in his genjutsu. She seemed to be doing that frequently, zoning off in a daze when he unintentionally rabbled on. Or was she distracted by something else?

"What are we having for dinner, Sakura?"

"Yes, of course," She answered automatically and grinned mirthfully at his face. She was clueless to what he just asked her, he thought with amusement. He was beginning to question how she had coped without him, and discovered that he could have asked the same question to himself.

* * *

><p>Sakura was being secretive, again. Even though she was not a ninja, she might as well had been one, baiting Itachi with her playful eyes and keeping him on the predator's track with her hand entwined in his. His eyes darkened for a frightening second – she better not be dragging him to that damn singer's comeback concert; he was not going to compromise on that. He would even use force if it meant he could skip out of Kanae Itachi's maudlin, hair-pricking lyrics and to not subject himself to watching Sakura fawning over another man in public, <em>while <em>next to him. Once was enough.

Did he also mention how much he disliked his look-alike?

"By the way, what does shaking my leg have to do with passing the job interview?" Itachi asked as an attempt to take his mind off that man.

"Huh?"

"Why do I have to shake my leg to wait for her response?" _It had been a her_? No no no, she shook her head to clear off her fallacious thoughts. She should be trusting and supportive instead of being paranoid and checking her boyfriend's phone without a valid reason person.

"It's just a modern expression. It means you have nothing to worry about." She only hoped she could say the same for her over-imaginative mind.

"We're here." They were standing outside Kanae Sasuke's mansion along the Uchiha District, where they stared at what was Itachi's home a long time ago.

"Isn't Sasuke out of town?" Sasuke mentioned a few days ago that he was leaving Leaf for a while to attend his brother, aka his nemesis's concert. He had even extended an invitation to him, of all people. Itachi had politely declined, but if was not before he did that awful frown like Sasuke had just asked him to eat a live snake. Regardless, Sasuke saw it and had not mentioned it since.

"That's the reason we're here; he is lending us the house for one day so we might as well use it! Come on!" Sakura tugged a hesitant Itachi through the noren bearing the Uchiha fan symbol and into yet another eerily familiar world.

"_I'm home."_

"_Nii-san, you're back!"_

Other than declining the not so appealing concert ticket, he had been able to resist stepping into the Kanae compound whenever Sasuke invited him in. He was uncertain if he could handle the memories lingering in his old home jumping at him.

"Ojama shimashita!" Sakura shouted into the empty house out of habit.

Itachi was overcome with doleful nostalgia wherever his eyes landed on; the frosty threshold where he sat and wore his ninja sandals, the cozy living room with its low wooden table and cushion seats where his Father used to camp and read his newspapers; the small kitchen with a simple rectangular mahogany dining table where he could picture her Mother's flattering back view and Sasuke's slummed form on the table, demanding for her to speed up.

"That's right, this is where you used to live," Sakura said softly as she watched him maneuvered around the house with the familiarity of its inhabitants. She slipped off his beige trench coat from behind him and hanged it on the hanger by the shoe rack, watching him as she absent-mindedly removed hers.

"The house remains standing, even after a hundred years has passed," He said more to himself than to her. His footsteps faltered as he continued passed his parents' room beside the living room.

_So you're on their side now_…

He climbed up the spiral stairs to the second floor and Sakura followed silently. The timber floor felt as clean as it was on the first level and he instinctively headed towards the second room at the end of the corridor. There were no framed photographs, no posters or even scatters of papers on the dust-free desk – it was functional at best with no hints of a personal touch. Where it used to be his bedroom, his sanctuary, it was now converted into a guest bedroom. The bed sheet appeared to be freshly changed, a simple blue and white stripes made from tensile with a cobalt blue blanket.

Sakura lingered by the doorway, afraid to interrupt his deep thoughts.

This was the first time she stood before this room, and it occurred to her that this was Kanae Itachi, her number one idol's bedroom. That was until he 'went mad,' coming home one day to declare his burning ambition to be a singer and quitted studying. Not surprisingly it resulted in a huge showdown with their Father and to young Sasuke's dismal, Itachi won. The next day bags were packed, doors were slammed, and Itachi walked out of his life towards his dream, not once looking back.

"Itachi…?" He raised his head and turned around, as though suddenly remembering he was not alone.

"Come in," He said even though they were both guests of the house. They sat on the cool timber floor by the window, their back rested against the smooth sheet of the queen's bed. Itachi was the first to break the silence.

"Do you smell it?" Sakura took a surreptitious sniff of the chilling air.

"Smell what?"

"The rain; it's coming." She angled her head towards the right and studied Itachi's left profile. Poor man, he must be taking this homecoming less smoothly than she assumed if he was mumbling about some odorless rain out of the blue, Sakura thought. His eyes were peering at the fading full moon, reflecting nothing but the silver of moonlight that slid passed the looming cumulus.

He must be incredibly sad now, sitting in his room that was no longer his, in a house that no longer held his family.

She cuddled his left arm and rested her head on his shoulder, hoping to warm up his body and heart.

"Have you ever wished that things were different?" Sakura asked as she joined in the moon watch.

"All the time. But that was a long time ago; I've long stopped thinking about things I cannot change."

"I'm glad to hear that, but sad at the same time." She felt his head shifted slightly towards her, waiting for her elaboration.

"The heavy-hearted way you said it... Only someone who has been through a lot could say something like that. It just reminds me of the treacherous life you've had," She finished as she traced a faint scar on his ring finger.

"Whatever happened, I'm proud to be a ninja of my village. It's what I was born to do, and I've did what I could before I left for good." She had never met anyone more patriotic than him and it made her marveled at what the old Konoha used to be like. For one, the citizens must have been quite fit when their main mode of transport involved hopping long distance from trees to trees to get to another place.

"But you 'died' so young; don't you feel that it's a pity?" He turned and slipped her a rueful smile before resuming his moon gazing. Funny that this thought never once crossed his mind; just when he reached his prime age he freaking died and he did not even bat an eyelash.

He marveled at how people's priorities have evolved over the centuries; where it used to be about killing and not get killed, people were now switching gadgets faster than the next arriving metro and getting a train seat was a life and death situation.

_At least I got to see him one last time_.

She came up to search his face when he did not respond. Itachi's eyes were already locked onto hers in that intense way that made her blushed despite living with him for almost a year. His hand found her cheek as he planted a firm and lingering kiss on her cool lips.

"Stop thinking so much about my life; those are the past. Now I'm here with you and things will be different." His voice no longer sounded resigned but laced with faith. It reminded her of Deidara's pet phrase to her whenever she was feeling sulky, "Cheer up, tomorrow will be a better day I promise, hmm!" She beamed and decided he was right.

"I'm so glad to see you cheer up, Itachi," She whispered as her head tilted unconsciously in that adorable way that kept him awoke on many nights just to replay that image.

He was so glad that Sakura was the one who had accompanied him when he was all alone in this foreign world. She was always looking out for him, never once losing her temper whenever he got confused between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi or losing the house keys enough times to warrant a change of the padlock.

If she were to ask him to braid his hair then he might have agreed. However, there were more pressing matters on hand, like how the room seemed to have heated up considerably and the slightly uncomfortable bulge south of his abdomen.

"What's wrong Itachi?" Once again she cocked her head and stared quizzically.

Gosh, with her looking at him like that, it was getting increasingly harder to tame that primitive part in him. Day by day, it detached a little of itself from its dormancy and it was not until now that he realized the thin line he was threading on, being consistently this close to her.

"Sakura, would you…Like to be mine?" He asked, charcoal eyes brimming with part-seriousness and tenderness.

"But…I already am!" Sakura cracked softly at his sudden confession, not quite catching his implication.

"And I mean…completely." He bent his head and kissed her. It was unlike any she had experienced – the contact was firm, with a hint of urgency that was uncharacteristic of him. Sakura gladly returned the affection and he nudged her lips apart with his tongue. His deep and tongue-filled kiss was the only thing that clouded her mind until he began pushing down the sleeves of her brown knitted sweater. Her eyes sprang opened with understanding.

"Y-You mean…?" Sakura exclaimed as her head backed slowly away from his burning gaze. He responded by pulling the cloth down further.

"Here… Here on the floor?!" Itachi winced internally at the panic in her voice, but was secretly glad that she was not opposed to whatever he had in mind.

Wordlessly, he carried her against his chest and lowered them onto what used to Sasuke's brother's bed. Regardless, it still felt like his. Using one forearm as support, he pressed a quick kiss against her slightly parted lips, with her still in the midst of digesting their heated circumstances.

"I… I'm not very good at this, so tell me if you are uncomfortable," He declared with such raw honesty that silenced all her doubts about his mysterious sex life.

"Have you done it before?" Sakura whispered and she saw he took a quick breath.

"A long time ago, but it didn't get far." She realized she would not be getting anything beyond that, whatever 'didn't get far' meant. He was staring at her; it was her turn to answer.

"Not once."

"Don't worry; I won't hurt you, Sakura." They exchanged a quick kiss.

Sakura's innocent eyes found his and taking a deep breath, she nodded weakly. When her sweater slipped passed her black lacey bra, she shut her eyes and turned away, knowing that if she did not stop him now, there would be no turning back.

She was one of those girls who assumed that sex was something holy and reserved for married couples, or at least that was what her Mother had instilled in her since sex education entered her To-Do-List. However, she long learnt that life seldom went according to plan, and this was apparently one of those cases.

_Sorry Mother, please forgive your daughter and trust her because he is a good man and_-

"I'm in good hands."

"Hmm?" Sakura quickly shook her head; did she actually say those last words out loud? Her question was immediately shoved aside as Itachi adjusted his legs so that he was kneeing over her. He rested his entire weight on her and leaned in to cast a trail of kisses along her neck. He repeated the trail in reverse and this time, he nibbled his way up, pausing at certain sensitive spots marked by Sakura's involuntary shiver of pleasure.

"Sakura…"

"I-It's okay, you're doing fine," She assured with the biggest understatement of the year, if her burgeoning arousal in her southern region was any indication. Gosh, even the way he breathed out her name made it sounded so sexy and dirty, like _sex_. He held her gaze as he unhooked her bra, and Sakura bit her bottom lip to keep from revealing any sign of anxiety. She wanted him to keep going, stripping her piece by piece as though unravelling a mystery and the only way was to stop acting like she was coerced-

Sakura whimpered softly when Itachi pulled up her bra and her breasts came spilling out, jiggling slightly from the recoil. She fastened her grip on the bed edge to stop from flying to cover herself and cracked a silt to watch him. He was staring at her exposed body with inscrutable eyes. She had never felt so insecure about her body or breasts until now. His hand rose to cover them with his big and warm hands.

"They're beautiful," He breathed out in a guff voice as he began flicking his thumbs over her erected nipples. Sakura felt a tinge of thrill ran through her body, pulsing fiercely between her inner thighs. She had never felt this way before and boy it felt so _darn good_.

"Your nipples are so hard…" He lowered his head and licked around her perky spots, the hot trails setting fire within her. He was taking his time examining and teasing, and she fought to withhold her groans of contentment. Finally, he took her left breast in his mouth and started sucking gently, not neglecting the other breast with his expert fingers tending and pinching her nipple.

"I…Itachi…" This definitely did not feel like his first time.

"Sakura, does this feel good?" He asked as he switched to the other breast and began tasting it without waiting for her response.

"Mmm…" She ran her fingers through his silky locks and held his head against her chest when he attempted to get up. He took that as a signal that he was doing it right and turned his sucking into nibbling.

"Urgh…" That nearly inaudible moan stirred Itachi and he felt himself growing hard. Sakura must have felt it too, as she started to rub her hips against the bulge, more out of discomfort than intentional that sent shots of intolerable pleasure through him.

He extracted his mouth from her breast and with one smooth move, he pulled down her maroon suede skirt all the way passed her smooth lean legs. He glanced into her eyes and spoke with a drunken gaze.

"Do you like it when I touch you like this…?" Sakura had no time to ask what 'this' meant as she felt one of his fingers pressed against her black panties. Her thighs jerked when he began stroking slowly through the thin fabric. Surely her answers to all these titillating questions were unnecessary; her body was doing all the answering anyway. When he increased the fingers to two and heightened the speed of his strokes, her body arched in response.

"I-It's good…" She managed weakly. Itachi thought to make good even better, and slotted his fingers outside her damped panties into her vagina.

"Argh…! I-Itachi what- what are you doing?" She could feel his slender finger- _fingers_ inside of her, and once again she twisted her head away at the novel intimacy. It was also partly from the awareness of how wet she was and how embarrassed that made her felt.

"You're wet," He said softly, as though she needed another reminder of what he was putting her through. She gasped, this time without restraint when he dug his fingers in deeper and hit the sensitive spot, which he seemed to have located without much difficulty. He was tickling her with that erotic rhythm _fast, fast, slow, slow and repeat_; her lower body shuddered and arched.

His next assault involved ridding off of her panties that were already riding low on her pelvic bone. Frantically, she reached down to stop his hand but it was no use; he was too fast. She clasped her thighs firmly together with his fingers still inside of her to shield her last shed of modesty.

"Sakura?" He asked in a coarse voice.

"I-It's embarrassing… Urgh…!" She flinched when he shifted and slipped out his fingers. She took in the way he seductively lapped her sweet fluid off his middle finger in a mixture of quivering arousal and awe.

Itachi struggled to calm his raging arousal from watching Sakura sprawled naked beneath him, so vulnerable and completely under his mercy. He did not want her to feel frightened; he wanted her to feel safe, with the confidence to express herself freely in front of hm. Taking a generous soothing breath, he crouched down to deliver a slow and sensual kiss to her moist lips, a huge contrast to the one he gave her earlier.

It was reminiscent of a warm gentle breeze and settled her tumultuous nerves. That was what she loved so much about the man – always looking out for her no matter the circumstances.

"Can I do anything to make you feel less embarrassed? Although I have to tell you there is nothing to be embarrassed about," He added with a faint smile, leaning his forehead against hers. God, his smile, she could kiss it all day.

"F-For starters, why am I the only one without clothes? Shouldn't it work two-ways?" It did not take long for Sakura's intentions to reach Itachi and he was already peeling off his black tee. His unwavering gaze was dark and intense, full of meaning. Before he could unbutton his jeans, Sakura's hand stopped him.

"Let me help you," She whispered and got up, looking slightly abashed when his eyes glinted in amusement. The pop of the metal button startled her, and she swallowed as she tentatively unzipped the jeans over his evident hard-on. She thought she heard him breathed out, and together they helped him out of the heavy jeans.

They were kneeing on the crinkled bed with eyes locked in an unbreakable current of passion, their bodies already aching from the separation. Sakura placed her palms on his exposed chest and ran them up and down over its uneven grooves. She looked up to him with lusty eyes.

"Now's my turn to please you," She announced with a lick of her lips and went for his nipple. She licked it with deliberate sluggishness, and trailed her tongue all the way down to his Apollo's belt. The coolness left from her trail was eating at Itachi's control and reaching for her head, he pulled her back up for a passionate kiss.

However, Sakura was not done exploring his body – her fingers roamed around and found those soft, delicious nipples and without warning, she pulled. Satisfaction coursed through her blood when his body twitched and he released a groan against their welded lips. Her confidence was returning and her hands grew bolder.

Taking a walk with her fingers down his abs, she yanked down his tight-fitting grey boxers. Itachi appeared nonplussed by the loss of yet another garment, and she wondered smugly how long that would last.

"Is that considered big?" She asked with raspy voice when they broke apart to refill their air supply. His shaft was pressed against her lower abdomen, and knowing fully how sensitive his was, she pushed her hips more firmly against it.

"It depends on your definition of 'big,'" He hissed into her ear and nibbled on her cool ear lobes, returning her torment with his expert lips.

Struggling to contain her rapid breathing and hammering heartbeat, she began stroking his length. It was barely a touch, with feathery movements to and forth along its length, but it was enough to drive him crazy. His hips jerked from her tantalising probing.

"That feels good," He uttered when she increased the pressure. When she finally grabbed around its circumference and tugged, Itachi gasped in seeming agony.

"Sakura… Watch your hands…" His hands found hers but instead of prying them away from his erogenous spot, he tightened his grip and began to guide her. The steady tugs felt like a ballad, but their minds were a raging storm of desire and arousal, interspersed with gasps and muted moans.

"God, you're so fucking hard, Itachi," Sakura purred and tugged harder. She smirked when his eyes closed in sheer pleasure, his breathing reduced to rapid breaths against her ears. She could please him all day, but her lady parts were demanding their share of attention.

"My turn, 'Tachi," She murmured, pleased with Itachi's expression. He needed no further nudge and in a split second he was behind her, her entire back flushed against his chest with his arms looped around her waist.

He had her.

Inhaling a deep breath of her after shampoo, a mixture of carnation and rose, he cupped her breasts and gave them a slow massage while he forced her thighs opened and rested his thigh against her wetness.

"And aren't yours awfully round, Sakura…?" He rubbed and pushed against them.

"Urgh… Itachi…"

"Tell me you like to be touched like this," He ordered next to her ear in a dangerous tone, before grasping her jutted breasts and giving them a hard squeeze.

"I like to be touched like this… Urgh!" He squeezed once more and she cried out like a prisoner subjected to injustice, her liquid slowly rolling down onto Itachi's thigh. She hated that her body was betraying her like that, so easily pleased.

"Tell me you want more."

"I… I want more." He pulled hard at her nipples and her back arched involuntarily, the zapping pain fuelling her excitement.

"I thought you said you aren't so good in… In this?" She attempted to distract him.

"So good with what?" He answered with feign ignorance, still not releasing his hold.

"At making your woman feel good," She replied with embarrassment and felt his smirk against her hair.

"So you're saying you feel good?"

"God Itachi… Stop making me say all these…" She felt her power of speech momentarily robbed when he pushed his knees against her vagina and rubbed, stimulating her wetness. "When you already know it…"

"Tell me what you want then, Sakura." When she tried to stop him, he inserted his fingers deep into her and stroked. She thought she could die then.

"Urgh… Itachi you're so mean… Urgh!"

"You have not answered my question." Gosh, was this the same reserved Itachi that was living with her? She never knew he could be so…adept at this, or was his amateur confession a false claim?

"I don't know…" Wrong answer – he began wriggling his fingers, making her twitched and she panted to restrain her groans.

"I-I want you inside of me… Now," She begged. That was when he felt the miniscule of control left within him snapped – he turned her around and pushed her onto the bed. He groped around the floor for his jeans and took out his wallet. Sakura's eyes nearly fell out of her sockets.

"Y-You own and carry a condom in your wallet?" Was she right about him cheating behind her back after all?!

"Don't jump to conclusions Sakura. A classmate…gave it to me as a birthday gift and it has been here ever since," He explained with a shrug and quickly rolled it on. He never thought Deidara's 'gift' might actually come in handy, at least not so soon.

"Oh…" She might have to send a bouquet to that friend of his after…after this.

"Sakura, spread your legs." Mutedly, she did as she was told, her earlier reservations thrown out of the window with the raging need to feel him inside of her. He carefully parked himself against her and found her eyes, seeking for permission.

Horny or not, this was her first, and he needed a final assurance that she was certain of this decision.

Their eyes met. She had no qualms that this was the man she was going to entrust her heart and life to, and no, she was not going to regret this.

"I love you Itachi, make love to me," She declared with certainty and Itachi's heart swelled at her openness. Her hand found his and they interlocked, a symbolic act of a mutual contract that would bound them eternally.

"It's going to hurt, but I'll make it as painless for you as possible, is that okay?" Sakura squeezed his hand in response.

"I trust you, Itachi." Without hesitating any further, he pushed.

"Arghhh! It's big alright!" Sakura yelled, tightening her grip on Itachi's hand while his other kept himself balanced next to her head. He nearly buckled at how hot and tight she was; nothing thus far could come close to this heavenly sensation of being inside her.

"Ready?" Itachi asked thickly. He managed to pause just with his tip within her, willing his beastly instincts to shut up and be patient. She waited for the throbbing pain to subside, braced herself and nodded. She was so not ready.

"Okay, I'm ready- Awwwww!" So much for 'as painless as possible.' Her muscles felt like they were being torn apart and haphazardly pieced together. She could feel him completely inside of her now, and if not for the stupid pain, she knew for certain she would be enjoying this much more. Stupid, stupid pain.

"I'm going to start thrusting now," Itachi muttered softly, but before he did, he leaned forward and landed an assuring kiss on her lips. "Stop me if you can't take the pain, Sakura." Sakura bit back her whimper and nodded distractedly, her mind and body alternating in a rhapsody of throbbing agony and soaring ecstasy.

His thrust was slow and accommodating, but her vagina still felt like it was on fire, especially when he pulled out in his deliberate manner. She was wedged in a tug-o-war between yearning for more of him and banishing the affliction. At one point she thought she tasted iron and some driblet of salt, and it was not until she felt his fingers wiping away at her cheeks that she realized she was crying.

She felt ashamed and disappointed in herself – she wanted him to know that this meant everything to her and that she loved every moment, but masking the pain was simply too great of an effort. She blinked back her tears and tried for an apology before the pain momentarily subsided and her eyes widened.

He was smiling down at her in his usual understanding way that gnawed at her heart; even though this was clearly not the best of experience, he did not express disappointment in her and portrayed tolerance at her cries of discomfort. Her head leaned against his warm palm, his unyielding kindness.

Surely his hand must be numbed from her vice-like grip by now, but he offered no complaints and continued to assure her with his understanding eyes.

"Is it better now?" She wanted to say no, but his tenderness had a way of numbing her pain and channeling her mind to savour in their newfound connection. She brought their interweaved hands to her lips and sealed her woes within their hold.

Gradually, she felt the muscles adjusted to his size and the pain reduced to being bearable. When Itachi felt her death grip on his hand loosen, he picked up the pace and deepened his thrust.

Her eyes were pinched in immix of pain and pleasure, but whenever he reached deep enough, she would feel a jut of insurmountable contentment, and soon she came to embrace both sensations. It was a testament of the love they shared, a love that eliminated limits and crossed celestial boundaries, healing and merging souls.

"Oh Itachi go deeper, yes! _Oh_…" He mentally grinned as he felt her tightness loosened and her body beginning to relax, as relaxed as the circumstances permitted.

When he stopped moving and slipped out of her, Sakura peeled opened her eyes and saw his sweat covered face panting above her, his eyes closed. She reached up to push his long fringe aside. His eyes splashed apart at the contact and he carried her up against his chest and kissed her. The assuring pressure against her lips conveyed everything she needed to know, further ascertaining that all the pain was worthwhile. She wrapped her legs around him, wanting him close to her.

As he sucked on her bottom lip, Sakura felt his shaft entering and moving against her tender walls again, and unprepared for the sudden shock of pain, she jerked forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"It still hurts, Itachi…" He ran his hand over her hair, coaxing away her pain with his curative caresses.

"I'm here, just hold on to me." He whispered coarsely and attempted to sip away some of her pain with his feathery kisses. She willed herself to be strong for his sake.

"Itachi…" They held firmly onto one another, their bodies merging as one, no longer distinguishable as a separate entity. He quickly picked up the pace, and it sent bouts of beatitude through Sakura that felt like a trip to heaven and back. At one point where he could no longer control himself, he released a low grunt that expressed his unyielding exhilaration and exhaustion and the fingers clutching her butt dug into her skin.

"Urgh!"

"Sorry, did I hurt you?" He forced himself to slow down and searched her eyes.

"N…No, keep doing it please…"

"As you wish, my lady."

Sakura soon felt the muscles along her vagina walls growing sore, but she could not ask him to slow down or stop; she did not want him to. This was their first time together, and she wanted to make this count. Her head swung back in an inebriated fashion, drunk on the burst of pleasures that only he could grant her and her overwhelming love for him.

"Are you growing tired, Itachi?"

"Does it feel like I am?" In response, he decreased the frequency of his movements, opting for long and meaningful thrusts that rocked Sakura to her core, making her cried out his name, over and over.

"Oh Sakura… You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this…" His rough confession intensified her arousal and deeply flattered her. She took delight that she was not alone in that train of thought. She hugged tighter around his drenched body, not ever wanting to let him out of her grasp again. He was her stanchion, her daylight and everything worth battling for.

Suddenly, he rolled them onto the bed and brought her on top of him, all the while keeping him inside of her. His dark and fervent gaze pulled her into a depthless stupor, making her forget which universe they were in. She would gladly be led astray by those eyes.

"What's wrong Itachi?"

"I wanted to look at you from a different perspective," He replied with amusement, when in reality he just did not want her to pass out on his shoulder and leaving him to finish alone.

"Admit it, you're just tired."

"I'm a ninja; I don't get tired that easily." She stuck out her tongue that said she heard that one too many times. "Like you said, it works two-ways. I shouldn't be the only one doing all the work," He shrugged and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. _Is he for real_? One moment he was all fast and furious and the next he was playing the tired patient.

"So you're letting me do all the dirty work now huh?" With his eyes still shut, he raised his brows at her choice of words, refusing to move despite his aching groin.

Sakura sighed and took over the thrusting; she had to give him some credit since all she did had been lying (almost) motionless on the bed. He assisted by holding her hips and pushing and pulling her along in a steady rhythm. Their new position allowed Sakura to pace and adjust, and it was surprisingly less painful and even more of a turn-on to be doing the deed herself.

"Do you need me to go faster?"

"Mmm…" She took that as a yes and rocked her hips harder against his taut body. Even though his eyes were closed, he appeared far from relaxed. Just staring at him from above was sending her into all kinds of burning frenzy and at this rate she knew the climax was coming.

It started as a tingle, but both must have felt it as it coursed through their woven bodies, driving them to the extreme edge with each powerful surges of pleasure.

"I-Itachi!" There was the overwhelming sensation welling up throughout her and she felt her body shaking uncontrollably.

"Sakura…" He claimed her hips and shoved faster, deeper, this time forgoing the need to suppress his groans and simply allowed himself to be lost to this woman that was connected to him more than just physically. They were two as one, and one against the world.

"I-I think I _oooh_!" The last thing she felt was an intense pulsation erupting below, before she collapsed on top of Itachi and blacked out.

* * *

><p>Sakura awoke to a feeling of fulfillment and a heavy arm across her waist. A gentle ray of dawn seeped through the beige curtain that was drawn – Itachi must have done it when she was knocked out from their <em>slightly<em> intimate night session. Speaking of which…

Carefully, she twisted around and had to quell her gasp of surprise. Itachi was actually asleep! He was usually up before her and mingling around the house and this was a nice change. She grinned at his peaceful expression. She was in slight disbelief that his hair was still in his pony – did the guy ever undo the hairband? She ran her fingers along his smooth cheek, admiring his long dark lashes against his pale skin. Oh yes, great morning indeed.

Without warning, the hand lying on her waist pulled her towards him, and her heart slammed against her chest in surprise.

"Itachi, you're awake?"

"Good morning, Sakura," He said with his eyes still closed, his voice not a hint of drowsiness. Figures.

"You're hot last night," She commented with a seductive tone, already snuggling up to him.

"And I could hear you moan all day," He countered, eliciting a fierce blush across Sakura's cheeks. Suddenly, she spun her head around the bedroom, as though only aware then that they were not in her house.

"Did we really make- did it in Sasuke-kun's house?"

"As you can see, yes we did."

"He cannot learn of this, or he's going to kill both of us," Sakura regarded with mock severity as he drew her in for a light morning kiss.

"Sakura, I love you."

"And I love you too, Itachi." Her beam rivalled the morning's ray, so dazzling that it was hard to tear his gaze away from her. It was the same sincere smile that guided him through his darkest hours and reminded him that there was hope even in the direst places.

"Hey, nice tatts," She said, tracing the red swirls on his left upper arm in awe. "What does this mean?"

"It means that I'm a secretive person," He replied, surprising the both of them. He had no idea what made him said that, even though he was no longer part of the ANBU and had no reason to mask his identity or withheld any of their information.

"Serious." Her tone indicating she was buying none of it and her eyes did a full body scan down his perfect male physique. "Not that secretive, in my opinion."

He angled a piquant glance into her dancing eyes, debating whether should he take her there and then. Sakura tried to get up to get dressed and winced at the residual pain between her thighs.

Maybe next time, he thought ruefully.

He gave her round ass a playful smack before rolling aside to pull on his boxers and jeans, skillfully dodging the daggers from Sakura's devilish eyes. After that, they headed to the bathroom opposite the bedroom and brushed their teeth.

Sakura commented on his fringe getting into his mouth and advised him to pin them up, and he retorted by saying she was like a little girl who rinsed with a plastic mug.

"Hey, it's just a habit okay, Mister," She said with unnecessary emphasis on the last word.

"A cute one," He could not help but supplied. She turned and gave him a tongue and caught something on his hair.

"Look old man, there's toothpaste stuck in your hair." As she slid the white paste from his stray lock, he leaned forward and captured her mouth in a peppermint kiss. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, relishing in the feel of his half-naked form over her petite frame, the feeling of being in good hands.

He guided them towards the baby blue wall tiles and pressed her body against it, then slid his hands under her sweater. He smirked when he realised she was not wearing any bra. Perhaps it was a ditto case underneath her skirt? Only one way to find out…

The sound of the creaking timber cladding snapped them out of their morning make-out session, and they blinked in a daze as the footsteps approached and stopped outside the bathroom door.

Securing his grip on the plastic broom, Kanae Sasuke gulped and slammed the door opened, yelled a war cry that made no sense and brought down his mighty weapon onto whoever that was inside…

"Sasuke, it's me," Itachi called out. Sasuke frowned at the sight of his partially dressed friend, one arm stopping the 'weapon' above his head and another friend who thankfully, was fully clothed (to his knowledge) and staring at him like he had intruded into _her_ house.

"What are you two doing in the bathroom?" He asked in a disconcerting tone, reluctant to assume the worst. He received Sakura's text yesterday that they were lodging at his house for a night and caught the first flight back this morning just to catch them and hang out together.

Sakura searched around for an inspiration, her eyes landing on a blank comb lying on the cabinet by the sink.

"It's what it looks like; I'm helping Itachi sort out the tangles in his hair!" She exclaimed and picked up the comb, scrambling behind Itachi and began combing his hair diligently. Itachi merely shrugged.

Oh, and most of the time, he tried not to think about the _comfortable_ relationship that his two close friends shared. That being said, they were not making it easy for him either.

Like that time when they came over to his house for dinner and he caught Itachi's hand snaking underneath Sakura's skirt when he thought no one was looking, or maybe he did know but simply did not care. Sasuke made a point to avoid contact with that hand for the rest of the night.

Sasuke's head spun back to survey the guest bedroom, his eyes taking in the bundled up blanket and heavily crumpled bed sheets, and his frowned deepened.

"You two didn't have sex right?" There was a pause.

"No!"

"Yes," They answered at the same time.

"W-What Itachi meant…" She elaborated in a singsong voice as she pinched Itachi's butt to warn him to stay out of this, "Is yes, in your dreams!" She laughed while Sasuke's expression indicated that he would rather go days without sleep than be subjected to that type of dream. He eyed them suspiciously.

"Ah, you said you love pancakes don't you, Sasuke-kun? I'll make some for breakfast right now!" Sakura recovered before he could raise anymore inexplicable questions and tugged him downstairs.

"Don't drag me; I can walk by myself!" Anyone could tell Sasuke's complains were half-hearted; the prospect of sinking his mouth into those soft and delectable pancakes filled with fresh blueberries was too much of a temptation, even for a tough nut like Sasuke.

It was Itachi's turn to frown; ever since she learnt to make pancakes and discovered Sasuke's soft spot for it, she had been making a lot for him, and hardly if not never leaving any for him. Not that he loved pancakes or anything, but he was the frigging boyfriend for Madara's sake, and if she were to prepare delicacies, would it hurt her to share some with him?

Alright, he loved pancakes, _her _homemade pancakes, especially when she mouth-fed him that would usually ended in a prolong kiss.

Damn, she had better not be feeding that Sasuke and hopefully, prepared his lovely share too?

She had better.

**End.**

* * *

><p><strong>My only hope is that no one I knew would actually read this.<strong>


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